June 2021 29 www.bahrainthismonth.com Question What is an acceptable level of noise in a residential apartment building? Answer - The level where no one in an adjacent apartment or in your building has reason to complain about you - when someone complains about noise you are making you should apologise, turn it down and learn a lesson - embarrassingly - and stop being a nuisance! THE SOLUTION Report It to Sort It!! It’s not rocket science to be considerate and actually a direct reflection on upbringing, culture, education, intelligence, common sense and simply put - what your parents taught you - to be well behaved. Nuisance noise makers are nothing new and history depicts these inconsiderate scrotes, regardless of their standing or position in society, and describes them accordingly throughout - Charles Babbage the well-known anti-noise activist circa 1741 related:- “Actually, I have for a long time been of the opinion that the quantity of noise anyone can comfortably endure is in inverse proportion to their mental powers, and can therefore be regarded as a rough measure of them. When I therefore hear dogs barking hour upon hour unrestrained in the courtyard of a house, I know what to think of the mental powers of the inhabitants. Whoever habitually slams doors rather than closing them by hand, or allows this happen in their house, is not merely ill-mannered, but a crude and obtuse person”. General Resident Rules • Use outside facilities for gatherings and get togethers where there may be noise. • Behave as though your parents lived in the same building. • Your noise may be causing someone else’s discomfort - be considerate at all times. • If you live in a residential apartment remember it’s NOT a villa or a village hut. • Don’t be the rotten apple in the basket - behave - it’s not a kindergarten you’re living in. Advice to Building Management - • When a nuisance noise is reported - ACT! • Giving lip service or excuses is unnecessary and only grows mushrooms. • Do your job - manage noise complaints effectively. Improperly handled or unaddressed nuisance noise quickly becomes a vicious cycle often leading to severe consequences. Always report nuisance noise and keep a good record of every occurrence and the actions involved and resultant events or occurrences. You can also report nuisance noise makers to the municipality or even the police however this should be a last resort. If you have a nuisance noise comment please visit the online version and share it through this QR code and share this article with anyone it may be relevant or appropriate to. Made by Bill Grieve The 3 rules of nuisance noise - Report, Record, Repeat. Building management is also often to blame - Nuisance noise creation is not always the tenants’ fault - building management has a responsibility to address areas of nuisance noise creation that they create through faulty interior decorating design choices I.e. Heavy doors that slam easily with no braking or self-closing systems and especially common - the scraping sounds of floor contact furniture on hard floors, the drill like resonance of which could probably wake the dead when furniture is inconsiderately dragged, pulled, pushed or move especially late at night or early morning and which easily pierces through ceilings, floors and adjacent walls. There is also a duty of care to residents to act on nuisance noise complaints without delay.
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